The National News Agency says the planes flew low over the market town of Nabatiyeh and nearby villages on Sunday.

The exercise comes a day after the Israeli military shot down a drone that crossed deep into Israel from the Mediterranean Sea, marking the first time in at least six years that a hostile aircraft has penetrated Israeli airspace.

It was not immediately clear who launched the drone, but suspicion quickly fell on the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah. The Iranian-backed group is known to have sent drones into Israel on several previous occasions.

The Israeli military declined to comment on reports that its jets flew over southern Lebanon.